King Harald V’s funeral brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets of Oslo on Wednesday as Norway formally closed a 13-day period of national mourning and prepared for a new chapter under his son, King Haakon VIII.
Harald, who died on 28 August at the age of 89 after 35 years as Norway’s monarch, was remembered in a funeral ceremony that combined military tradition, royal pageantry and a public show of affection for a king who had become a familiar figure in Norwegian life. In the days leading up to the funeral, more than 46,000 people had passed his coffin to pay their respects.
The funeral procession left the Royal Palace and made its way through central Oslo towards Oslo Cathedral. Harald’s coffin was placed on an artillery carriage and covered by the royal banner as thousands of people watched from behind barriers along the route. A 21-gun salute was fired from Akershus Fortress as the procession moved through the capital.
King Haakon VIII walked behind his father’s coffin alongside Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Martha Louise. Queen Sonja and Queen Mette-Marit travelled behind the procession by car.
The scale of the ceremony reflected Harald’s position as both monarch and commander-in-chief. Around 1,900 military personnel formed a guard of honour along the route, while large crowds gathered to witness the final public farewell. Before the funeral service began at Oslo Cathedral, Norway observed a minute’s silence in honour of the late king.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and parliament speaker Masud Gharahkhani were among those who addressed the congregation. Store described Harald as a monarch who managed to combine the formality of his position with an approachable public image.
“He struck a balance between being stately and being down-to-earth,” Store said. “He made Norway greater. He spoke of a ‘we’ in Norway where everyone is there for each other.”
The service also brought together members of European royal families, political leaders and other international figures. Britain’s Prince William attended on behalf of King Charles III, while Princess Anne, who is godmother to King Haakon, attended in a private capacity.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, Denmark’s King Frederik X, Spain’s King Felipe and the Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander were among the European monarchs present. Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were also in attendance.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb attended the private burial ceremony later at Akershus Fortress.
After the funeral service, four Norwegian F-35 fighter jets flew over Oslo Cathedral in a military tribute to Harald. One of the aircraft broke away from the formation during the flypast, marking the king’s service as Norway’s head of state and commander-in-chief.
The coffin was then taken to Akershus Fortress, where members of the royal family and invited guests gathered for a private service at the Palace Chapel. Harald was subsequently buried in the Royal Mausoleum alongside his parents, King Olav V and Crown Princess Martha, and his grandparents, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud.
The end of the burial ceremony was marked across the capital and elsewhere in Norway. Flags in Oslo were raised from half-mast, a royal salute was fired from Akershus Fortress and church bells rang throughout the country for an hour.
King Haakon and members of the royal family later returned to the Royal Palace, where they appeared on the balcony before crowds gathered outside. It was one of the first public moments of the new reign and a visible transition from mourning for Harald to the beginning of Haakon’s rule.
Haakon, 53, became king following his father’s death. He had served as crown prince since 1991 and now takes on the role alongside his wife, Queen Mette-Marit.
Later, the new king and queen held a private reception at the Royal Palace for visiting heads of state, foreign royals, Norwegian officials and members of the royal family.
For Norway, the funeral marked more than the end of a period of mourning. It also closed the long reign of a monarch who had occupied the throne for more than three decades and formally opened the reign of a new king.
